Since January 2016, police officials have defended their aerial spraying of dagga by citing an “expert report” claiming glyphosate spraying has “technically zero” chance of harming people or animals.[1] Researchers from the University of Cape Town and activists disputed the findings and questioned the credentials and independence of the report’s author, Dr Gerhard Verdoorn of the Griffon Poison Information Centre.[1]
The South African Police Service says it has used helicopters to spray marijuana plantations with glyphosate for more than three decades, and that the programme is lawful and complies with local safety and environmental regulations.[1] Villagers in the Eastern Cape who grow marijuana for an income say the spraying poses a health risk and infringes on basic human rights.[1] Verdoorn’s three-page report states that it is physically impossible for any organism to be exposed to sufficient glyphosate during police spraying operations.[1] The report concludes that the exposure warrants no concerns about acute toxicity, dermal irritation or even eye irritation.[1]
Verdoorn is a 57-year-old qualified organic chemist and former conservation biology professor who has run the Griffon Poison Information Centre alone as its director since 2005.[1] Verdoorn chairs two CropLife SA committees, covering public relations and safety, health and environment, and is a regular consultant for AVCASA, handling its waste management programme.[1] The president of CropLife SA, Marcel Dreyer, is also chief executive of Arysta LifeScience, which holds the patent for KiloMax, the glyphosate product police use to eradicate dagga plantations.[1] Helen Whitehead of the Transkei Animal Welfare Initiative, one of the groups campaigning against the spraying, said Verdoorn was not independent and was strongly financially motivated to defend glyphosate.[1] Verdoorn said the Griffon Centre was totally independent and entirely self-funded.[1] In 2015 Villa Crop Protection, one of South Africa’s largest agricultural remedy suppliers, funded toxicological analyses at the Griffon Centre after 66 endangered vultures died from poisoning.[1] Verdoorn said the Villa Crop funding was once-off and that the company helps out when there is a poisoning incident.[1]
Verdoorn said glyphosate was the least toxic compound the police could use and that the police were acting within their constitutional mandate.[1] Verdoorn called allegations of poisoning as a consequence of the spraying absolute rubbish.[1] Dr Leslie London, professor of public health at UCT, said Verdoorn had a long record of interpreting findings in ways that exonerate the pesticide industry of responsibility for health problems from pesticide exposure.[1] London, a B-rated NRF researcher recognised internationally for his work on pesticides, said the report was poor science and more closely resembled a propaganda piece.[1] Lieutenant General E Mawela wrote to attorney Ricky Stone on 7 March about the expert report.[1] Mawela said the SAPS maintains it is conducting lawful operations.[1] The toxicologist Dr Ockie Fourie, whom the report suggested for a second opinion, said he did a lot of consulting for the police roughly between 1995 and 1998, monitoring their glyphosate spraying programme.[1] Fourie said the spraying he monitored was very scientific with practically zero negative impact on health or the environment, but he had no idea what had happened since because it had been many years since he worked on glyphosate.[1] SAPS officials did not answer GroundUp’s written questions before publication.[1] Daily Maverick published the GroundUp article on 6 May 2016, crediting GroundUp.[2]
